Hurricane Dorian

About Hurricane Dorian

Posted on 09/05/2019

Greetings students, parents and staff. Today was another awesome day in Essex County Public Schools. We are finding our students academically curious, our staff well-prepared and school environments conducive to inquiry-based instruction.

Today, however, I write to you concerning the possible impact of Hurricane Dorian on school operations, and the potential of school closure. Several ECPS officials attended a briefing today by James Brann with Essex County Emergency Management. Mr. Brann reported that Essex County is expected to receive a half-inch to an inch of rain between Thursday and Friday of this week. If there is a storm-surge, the amount of rain fall could increase. With respect to wind-speed, the storm is expected to generate up to 25-30 mph of wind activity on Friday. If the Essex region does experience such moderate wind activity, students will not travel into Richmond County to the Northern Neck Technical Center or to the Chesapeake Bay Governor’s School, due to precarious bridge conditions. At this time, we are not anticipating a need for school closure on Thursday or Friday. Additionally, with any storm event, there is a chance for the onset of tornado activity. Principals have been directed to review tornado protocols with their staff in the unlikely event of tornadic activity due to the storm. We will continue to monitor the latest developments related to this storm and make our best efforts at keeping the school community informed.